Stop the memos, threats!

DEMOCRATIC Labour Party (DLP) spokesperson for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Ryan Walters, is making a call for employers to stop sending out threatening messages to employees, while the country undergoes a four-week consultation process on mandatory vaccinations in the workplace.

The DLP candidate for St. Michael North West’s call came in response to a meeting of the Social Partnership at which time Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced: “We have agreed that the Honourable Attorney General will prepare or have prepared a legal opinion looking at both civil and criminal liability with respect to aspects of mandatory vaccination and mandatory testing or failure thereto and the consequences of engaging in a way that may be reckless that may cause harm to others. We’ll leave it as broad as that.”

“We expect that that opinion will be made available to us on or before the 6th of August and that that will then trigger a process that will involve both sectoral and national consultations in the ensuing weeks,” she said.

In response, Walters said: “In the weeks of discussion which the Prime Minister outlined will go on till the end of August, I would strongly suggest that both her and the private sector appeal to businesses to cease and desist from sending out those memos which are ‘threatening’ to workers. Those memos which demand workers to take the vaccine or pay for testing must stop, especially if one is to believe the consultations will be fair and legitimate. There should be no such actions taken against workers until the talks have ended and a clear path forward is articulated.”

Chairman of the Barbados Private Sector Association, Edward Clarke, during Tuesday night’s press conference, noted that his association had not changed their stance on the need for mandatory vaccines and increased testing.

“We have agreed to work with the Social Partnership members, our labour friends and our government associates to try and ensure that we come to a position that is workable for all of Barbados. We look forward to doing so over the next few weeks. We ask our membership in the private sector to bear with us. We hope that you understand the position that the Prime Minister has asked us to support and we are certainly willing to do. We encourage every Barbadian do what is right: mask up, sanitise, social distance, get vaccinated and get tested as regularly as possible,” he said.

Just yesterday another memo allegedly from a local supermarket, made its rounds on social media citing the Safety and Health at Work Act and stating that all staff should be vaccinated by August 31, 2021 or must bring in a negative PCR test every two weeks. Additionally, it stated that those who had COVID will be excluded until September 30, 2021.

Walters also highlighted the contribution made by General Secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union, Toni Moore, suggesting a need for a mass sensitisation initiative. Walters states that any campaign must be comprehensive to allow persons to make an informed decision.

Walters opined that Government loses the trust of the public when health and ministry officials appear to give different statistics as was the case recently on reporting positive cases among the vaccinated population.

“The vaccination campaign should not be a pro-vaccine campaign, but should be focused on sharing the pros, cons and in-between of taking the vaccine, so that persons feel comfortable with their decision,” he stated.